The Last Flower
by The-EverLasting-Ash
Summary: The world could end at any moment, but for what reason?  Could the Hetalia save them or was it just a myth?  And to top it all off, Kiku returns into the picture after almost 600 years of sleep with no memory of who and what he really is.  Shippings later


_A/N: I'm not sure how much of this I will write, but I might as well give it a try and see how it goes. There's another story I want to try out later and I'll see how that one does too. If I do end up continuing this story, there will be multiple shippings in the future. Hope it goes ok!_

_ Anyways, hope you readers enjoy. I don't really know many languages, so I don't think I'll be writing many lines in other languages, sorry!  
_

_Kay, have a good one? Lol : ]_

OxoxoxoxoxO

The world was on the verge of death. And everyone around him was going fucking insane because of it.

If the world kept up like this; he thought, he would either kill himself or would be killed before he'd be seeing what he knew to be his twenties.

Despite of this however, he was the one, sitting alone on the top of his apartment building, huddled in a heated blanket, looking down at the world; mocking them of their ignorance and stupidity. The air was insanely cold; he thought, but apparently it was normal for everyone else. And as he rested his head against the chimney pipe, he closed his eyes, listening to the gossip of the wind. He didn't belong down there, he concluded. This was enough for him.

After all, for all he knew, he was still a child. He had no biological parents, or so that's what he believed. But his adoptive mother always insisted that he did; that they must have separated at one point in time in some freak accident that he was too chicken to recall, or couldn't recall from amnesia. _As if he hit his head so hard he couldn't remember who he was. _ That might have explained why she found him naked lying in a small field of orange and yellow flowers while she visited family members in a small far off land. She recalled it to be the most colorful moment in her entire life. And so she took him in, without a second thought.

That was how he ended up sitting up on the rooftop in the first place. Away from the chaos that pursued below him.

But even when he sat there in pure bliss, a mixture of depression stirred inside of him when he heard what he would describe as the moaning winds. It was as if some far off identity was crying to him for help from somewhere far away. Sometimes it was so harsh, all he could do was cover his ears and tell the voice to leave him alone.

_"I can't help you if I don't know who you are,"_ He would whisper back to the weeping winds that brushed his ears. But every time, every _god damn_ time he would actually listen back, the response was always the same.

_I am you._

"There you are, Buttercup," His _mom_ surprised him with that ridiculous pet name. He frowned.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" He asked calmly. His adoptive mother smiled, not minding the chill. As much as he might have; or could've complained, he really did care for her. She was the only one in his life he could talk to without his head starting to hurt.

"You know I'll always call you that, until you want me to call you by your real name," She replied. "I'm just checking how you're studies have been going. Don't you think you should come back inside where it's a little warmer? It's pretty cold out here," She added. However, he still looked out into the everlasting gray sky, as if expecting something new.

"I honestly don't know," He replied. His mom decided to join him, sitting beside him. There was a long moment of pause between the two of them.

"How come everyone is talking about the end of the world?" He finally asked. His mother stiffened slightly at the question, as if it was a bullet to the vertebrae.

"Oh haha, everyone's just upset that the United States just gave up their unity as a country. I'm sure if we stay here in Britain we'll be fine," She responded. He frowned. From what he knew, even before he could remember who he was, he knew that they were once a strong nation; now crumbled below his feet like an old monument that couldn't support its weight any longer.

"Will this place turn out the same way?" He asked. He hated pressing these awkward questions upon her. But for his sake, he'd like to know what he'd be expecting in the next few years on what they called Earth.

"I'm sure it won't happen," She replied. "If this country stopped being a country, then that would be the end of us, wouldn't it? That wouldn't happen…" _Was it really impossible_, he thought?

"And if it was possible?" He asked. She studied her adoptive mother's features. She was almost starting to show age, but her round curves hid the signs fairly well, he thought. She wasn't at all dainty, she was larger in circumference, but that only meant that her hugs were warmer. Her dusty blond hair was always loose around her shoulders, and framed her wide face well, which was frowning now, by the way.

"If it was possible, well then I guess that would be the end of the world," She replied, aiming her gaze towards the gray sky.

_He didn't want to think about that,_ he thought.

It would be the end of him too, according to the voice in the wind. His young thoughts trailed to happier territories. Earlier territories. Territories that; maybe, no one else would know, but it would be interesting to watch and see if ever given the chance to explain them.

"So… what about the beginning of the world? How did that happen?" Her appearance changed into something completely different, the wind blowing through her hair, as it told her something illegible to him.

"No one really knows," She replied. "But it doesn't mean that there are no stories or legends. That's where religions and beliefs trail in, but I'd like to leave the ones you've heard about aside for now," She replied. He stayed quiet, now hugging his knees to himself, as he listened to the sounds of sirens below.

"… Close your eyes for a moment. I'd like you to see this for yourself," She responded. And so he complied.

"Now, block out any other thoughts or sounds you might be thinking and just focus, not even on my voice, but my words." There was a small pause. "The sky is blue and the sun is shining gold, can you see it?" She asked. He frowned slightly.

"Not really…"

"Can you feel the warmth of it then at least?" She continued. He had to block out the clashing feeling of the wind against his skin, but after eventually knocking the feeling out of his mind, he started to understand. And feel.

"I see it," He spoke lowly, like a child at awe.

"Alright. Look in front of you. What do you think you'd see if it didn't look like what was really in front of you?" She asked. _How was he supposed to know?_

"Ehhh… not as gray and dull?" He replied. "More… peaceful?" He added. She hummed.

"Picture lush greens, flowers of every color you can think of, maybe make believe of flowers you may have never known existed." After a while, he was just silent, trying to grasp the concept of their situation a little better. But the more his thoughts melted into her voice, the less he was on the roof and the more he was in his thoughts.

He was in a meadow of flowers. The breeze that blew past his ears was warmer and friendlier. The air smelled like honeysuckle and pine trees. He could hear the water from the lake nearby and watched how it sparkled in the sun. He wanted to lie back onto the grass and look up to the sky and its soft cotton clouds; to pick out their shapes.

"You're merely a spark of energy," She spoke. The world has yet to know mere humans or animals that have the power of self-recognition... most."

He looked around him. For an instance, he saw what he had thought to be a movement. But rather than chasing the movement, he just stood there.

"There are only a handful of beings, maybe even only one. They aren't god. Nor are they your ordinary individuals. We don't know who or what they are, and we don't know what they look like. Maybe they can take on any form they'd like."

He looked back into the woods, and squinted as the wind blew his hair in front of his eyes.

A young girl, he could have sworn. Her long, dusty, brown, wavy hair, trailed behind her as she disappeared into the forest. Still, he didn't follow her, as he might have wanted to.

"These beings do their best to watch over the earth and keep it nurtured. And they have the power to speak and communicate with the earth around them."

He finally decided that he would walk towards the forest to follow the runaway girl.

"They protect each other, and every thousands of years, they rest and become reborn from the soil."

The sound of far off laughter. He twirled around, as if seeking the voices. There was a sense of familiarity, he thought deeply within himself.

"They grow again, sometimes to look after and protect their rightful kingdoms."

He was about to twirl around again, but mistakenly slipped on a nearby rock. He felt himself nearly fall. This made his entire body twitch. But to keep his mind immersed in this fantasy world, he squeezed his eyes shut, keeping the image planted in his mind.

"Best of all. They're always watching over everything, to make sure everyone and everything is ok, all until the earth becomes old and tired."

Catching himself again, he held himself off of the ground, letting his fingertips; for just a moment, to brush through the thick green grass. He leaned in, letting his nose brush against the strands of green, as they tickled his lips and nostrils. He closed his eyes to amplify the feeling, but when he opened them again, there was a soft, but sturdy hand in front of his eyes.

"But in return, we have to try to do the same thing. We need to take care of this planet in return, so they don't tire out faster than we want them to. If we return the favor, they will return the favor back. This cycle should last as long as possible."

He looked up.

There was a boy with auburn hair, a small curl twirled to the side of his face. He smile was energetic and passionate as he reached down for him.

He blinked. And it was in this blink, in this very flash, where there was a group, all holding their hands out to him.

It felt like pure déjà vu.

His mind finally snapped back. Back to gray, back to the cold winds. Back to reality.

"Of course, the last time I saw such lush greens was when I found you," She replied. The boy paused for a moment, temporarily looking down at the hand that almost touched the other boy's fingers.

"I see…"

"Are you ok?" She asked. He was deep in his thoughts again, until he heard renewed sirens below, and his sense of hearing came back to him. Back to complaining neighbors. Back to crying children. Back to the sounds of moaning winds.

"Is it normal for them to see me?" He finally asked. There was a moment of pause, until she finally looked away. She smiled.

"You never know," She responded. He curled up into another ball, letting his skin absorb the heat of the blanket.

"… Do these beings have a name the call themselves?" He asked. She hummed.

"If they do, we wouldn't know. They like to keep themselves secret," She said, standing up, as she looked down to the streets. "They can be anything you want them to be."

The boy sighed.

"It just seems unusual that they wouldn't have a name." She hummed.

"If you really want to know what to call them, we named them the Hetalia," She responded. "Until they want to come out and let us know what they really want us to call them."

The boy took in the name, the sound rolling off of his tongue as he looked up to the sky.

"You could be right," He responded.

And as they sat there in silence listening to the world, one big thought rolled by their heads. And even though he was the first to say it, he was certain, that the both of them thought the same thing.

"I hope they come back someday…"

OxoxoxoxoxoxO

The Last Flower

Colors of the Gray

OxoxoxoxoxoxO

It had been nearing the end of his shift of his small part-time job. His _really_ small part-time job. But that's how a lot of part-time jobs were in 2785, they only lasted about two hours. The gardens closed at 5, and it was his and the owner's job to close for the evening. His already pink nose stiffened in the cold as he walked from one small greenhouse to the other, sneezing in mid stride, his long wavy blond hair blew in the cool breeze. He shivered.

It was like this all year, every year now, he bitterly thought to himself. Thoughts like this depressed Francis Bonnefoy deeply. He took a moment to let his blue eyes wander up to the sky.

Grey again, he thought, with a visible tinge of golden brown. The usual. Shivering again, as he felt a snowflake delicately land on his cheek, he walked to the door that led into one of the not-so-main green houses, punching in the extremely-secret-code-that-no-one-else-could-ever-know. It was extremely important that his boss beat that message through his skull well when he received this _really _small part time job. It was _really_ small. But that rule was still _really_ important.

Closing the door as soon as possible to leave the chilling cold outside, Francis sighed as the warmth of the small protected cottage tickled his skin. He had to check all the plants carefully, all of them. This was very _very_ important and it would result in Francis being fired or possibly something worse if he didn't keep proper care of these plants. But Francis knew far too well the consequences, possibly better than anyone that worked there or most of humanity in general, including his boss. Of course, his boss could never know. _No, not ever, _he thought to himself. Francis took a good look at the plants in that room, one particular thought crossing his mind that tickled him uncomfortably.

These were the last plants of their kind.

Endangered.

Isolated from the outside world in hopes to bring more of them back to life.

Francis was only able to close the gardens one other time in his small job; and at the time, he was never given the duty to shut this specific small building down for the night. Now he was all by himself, his boss somewhere else. Francis's heart beat picked up its pace as he checked the plants carefully, making sure not to physically touch any of them, even if they were safely cased behind glass boxing with holes for the unusually fresh oxygen in the room. At the same time, he had to make sure that they were growing like they should have. Did they have enough water, fertilizer, etc. There were many flowers and plants in there, familiar and unfamiliar to him, plants from all across the world, from places familiar and unfamiliar, even if he'd known about them for centuries in sleep and consciousness. He glanced the rows over.

They all _looked_ fine... He couldn't be one hundred percent sure without being able to physically touch them. Oh, how he _longed_ to feel the texture of some of those flower petals, like how he could all those years ago.

He just hoped that the fake sunrays in the cottage kept them warmer than the real rays outside did for him.

As he made his way to the back of the room, where the almost extinct plants were, something caught his eye that made his chest swelled up, uncontrollably and uncomfortably. _It really was the end of the world… wasn't it? _He thought to himself. He had to be sure… and sure enough…

Francis could only freeze in awe and disbelief at what he saw, encased in a very special spot, isolated away from everything else.

Because in the back of the room, delicately planted in a beautifully detailed pot, sitting upon a higher standing platform was the very last red rose.

The last red rose in the entire world.

Something strong overcame him, as he stood face to face to something that had seemingly belonged to him… to _them _for the longest time. It was once one of his; their finest symbols. What were to happen if… _if…_

Francis's knees gave way as he let himself fall down to the hard floor, eyes never straying from that nearly budded flower as if it was a god. His last resort. Fear? He wasn't sure what this feeling was.

"That's exactly how I felt when I saw that beauty," An old woman's voice spoke from the door frame before shutting the door firmly behind her. "Creatures like her are almost fairy tales nowadays." Francis almost couldn't hear the old lady's voice. It wasn't really all because he chose not to but because physically, her voice was very small, compared to his own. Insignificant. Almost dead. Just like the last rose in front of them. Francis had to think twice to respond.

"I… I see," Was all Francis could respond with. The old woman coughed in her sleeve.

"But… I'm sure with just the right care, she'll bud into something bigger and she'll spread her wings again. She just needs a boost is all." The woman chuckled slightly, as Francis could hear the slow footsteps approaching his side.

"Need a hand?" She asked; smile spread across his cheeks. "I'll gladly make you some hot tea in my cottage," She said. Francis took a moment to touch his cheeks. Sure enough they were damp, but he was sure they would freeze up and disintegrate the moment they step outside again. He never thought he would see himself in such a helpless position. Ever.

"Mon cheri, that would be lovely, thank you.

OxoxoxO

The swelling in his chest went down again temporarily after being away from the plant house, even if it was by just a mere few meters. Her small cottage was almost the same size as the rest of the small nurseries. There were multiple heaters set up, all with some sort of alternative energy power, whatever they were. He lost track of the alternative energies since the early two thousands. She seemed to be a fan of dumpster-diving, as his eyes scanned the walls. Some of these things, he thought, an old and current friend of his would be fond of; old-vintage American signs and posters as well as antiques, they were everywhere, from WWII to the late 2,000's with the third world war. His blue eyes met a familiar woman; Rosie the Riviter, as she glared at him in return with a pumped up strong arm. _We can do it!_ Oh yeah, that was her motto… he thought. _Such a long time ago..._

She had a few of her own plants, probably "replica plants" as he liked to put it. It was a fairly new invention, in which they grew almost exactly like regular plants, but minus the beneficial vitamins and nourishment that their real counterparts provided and instead grew all off man-made materials and ingredients. It was just another one of man's magic tricks. Even so… seeing one of these replica plants potted in something like a … what where those things Alfred; his old and current friend, was into back then? An X-Box? He wondered what Al would think of that…

"So I'm wondering. Why; as young and handsome as you are, are working for me in this very small corner of the city?" The old woman asked; bringing out the tray, a couple of her cats scurried past her while one rubbed up against her leg. Francis thought the question through, as he made an expression of nostalgia. His fingers delicately touched the rim of the tea cup to feel the steam tickle his fingertips. Some things; like a nice hot cup of tea, never changed, even after thousands of years.

"I… ultimately, I'm not sure. Maybe it's selfish of me, but I think I like it here. I like it here until our lands can flourish again. For now… this is the only place in miles and lands I can think of that still grows a real nursery. But I'm sure that in itself has some consequences, doesn't it?" Francis asked, finally looking up at the old woman. He tried not to wince at her aging wrinkled face and tried to see past her frail, merely ordinary human appearance. The old woman wore a dark green robe and maroon slippers; her white old tattered shirt worn from use; her pants didn't look any better. Her gray hair was held up above her head in a bun. Looking past these worn down details and focusing on her eyes, they were a beautiful bright green. A brighter green than most eyes he's laid eyes on. _Most_ eyes that is…

"There aren't many people that are aware of the difference between real and artificial… it makes me glad when I find those out there that can tell these things apart. Even when I was young, much like yourself. There weren't many people that had such strong senses," The old woman remarked. Francis chuckled.

"Even if you have grown old and weak, you're still doing something quite amazing, even if you'll never be known for it; you're helping rather than destroying or doing nothing. You look like you've grown to be a fine woman at one point," Francis replied, his eyes fixed on her green eyes again. She chuckled.

"Don't flatter me now. It's the least I can do as an old woman going on her one hundred and sixty-fifth birthday. I like what I do, and as long as I can find someone that can carry on my work before I pass on, my mother's garden will not be in vain," She smiled, as one of her cats curled up in her lap. "She taught me young, showed me everything the world had to offer me. She told me that, one day, when she was to die, the flowers she took care of will only keep growing, as long as we let them, and that one day, she may look at those same flowers again, but with a different set of eyes and a different mind. I'm sure whatever my mother has reincarnated into appreciates what she's done in her past life… even if she doesn't remember a thing. As for me… I hope for the same thing. I want to see these flowers; I want to see that last rose bud into a few more places, to bud into different shapes and sizes." She explained. "If I do my best, I'm sure I'll be rewarded somehow when I die."

Francis took in what the woman spoke. Reincarnation was the word she described, wasn't it? It was a feeling he was both well aware of and not familiar with. Yes, he knew well what it was like to slumber; slumber for a few centuries, yes, but he was unfamiliar with the feeling of being "reborn" or "recreated" as a new being. Because every time he; and his kind did wake up from their hibernations, their memories still remained. Old, new, good, bad… He never had to worry about anything as devastating or ending as "death." Not then…

… But was it possible now? He didn't want to think about it for too long…

"Is something on your mind dear?" She asked him. Francis almost flinched.

"Ahh… just soaking in your story. You have a fulfilling dream. May I; if you cannot find another you can trust more, help you carry on your wish after you pass on?" He asked; his mind thinking back to the red rose. The old woman's smile deepened.

"You really are one to flatter, aren't you? You have to keep your promise if you want to take on that duty, or else the world may not reward you the way you want it to." She responded. Francis's mouth was barely a smile, nor a frown. He could easily depict a sad, woeful expression, but no. He sipped on the now cool enough to drink tea.

"Thank you… for the tea." He said. The woman smiled, petting the cat.

"You're welcome Francis. Please, just call me Rose."

OxoxoxoxO

The bar was always open at two in the morning. It was the busiest bar he'd gone to in years, seeing that it was known to have some of the best liquor in all of Old America. He took in a deep breath, letting the scent of ale and honeys fill his nostrils.

Alfred F. Jones still loved the place. His blue eyes always looked up to that trusty old wooden banner above the doorway, dating its existence since the eighteen hundreds. It was always, and always will be, his drinking spot to clear his mind from any of the ridiculous dramatizing events that happened outside.

One thing he still couldn't get used to however, were some of the new kinds of drinkers he started spotting. The people that drove his land to near extinction, he thought bitterly to himself. Basically, it was the majority of the entire world that refused alliance to the newer, power hungry government that just kept expanding and expanding.

Just like how America had Americans, _Carderia_ had _Carderians_, as man called them. He however, despite the fact that these people were earthlings, would always refer to them as aliens.

He would never deem it to be normal, he thought. Though the world was never actually at total world peace, everyone was content the way the world was, for the longest time, which was why it was unusual for what happened to really happen. Alfred's lips always trembled slightly whenever he referenced what had happened during the third and possibly final world war.

_They lost._

As in, their entire world lost. They lost to a nation, which possibly could rule the entirety of the world, for the very few years that it has left. What was Alfred's world doing about this? What was his country, or any of his allies doing about this? Absolutely _nothing._ What could they do? The Car- _aliens _were too strong, strong enough to convert hearts to join their own army. It could be in a matter of years, months, _days _for the nation to take control of The United Kingdom. To the ordinary eye, this was plenty of time to think up of an alternative plan.

But in all honesty, days were like minutes to Alfred F. Jones. And with that, there wasn't much time left.

Alfred tilted his square glasses before his blue eyes, as he lowered his old, trusty cowboy hat behind his head and sat at the counter.

"One hard beer please. Make it the boldest you can," He asked the man working the bar that night.

Al's thoughts trailed off to what his life had been like for those many years. He hadn't really known anyone, or even believed in anything except the things around him. He had always felt somewhat out of place when he was young, the first people he knew and loved from afar were the natives of his nation. He looked and acted nothing like them, and it made him feel as if he wasn't a part of that land. Of course he admired them, and it was them that made him realize his inner strength.

It was then that, others that started to look similar to him started to appear. But yet again, after adapting more to the native life style, he didn't seem to fit in with those newer people either.

That was when he came to him. He really looked silly back then, he thought. He had never seen bigger eyebrows, and even to this day, whenever he saw someone with big bushy, even connected eyebrows, his thoughts always trailed back to the one that first raised him into what he would call himself today. … He took that final thought back. But even so, when they had decided to be brothers then, it was the strongest connection to anyone he had ever had.

Alfred frowned once he remembered the last time that he saw that old friend. He was nothing like he was before, and to think of that made him depressed. It was in a matter of time that Al was caught slightly off guard.

"So… Alfred" The familiar insignificant bartender said, handing him his drink. He accepted his beer after slicking part of his blond hair behind his ear.

"Have you seen the news lately?" Alfred chugged a big gulp down his throat.

"Don't watch the news," Al replied. The man chuckled.

"That's not good, there's so much happening lately, where have you been?" He asked. Al tapped his foot, thinking a moment before grinning.

"_Outside_," he replied. The man smiled.

"Oh, well that could both mean good and bad. You don't want to get sick out there," He added. Al snorted. Getting a simple 'cold' in Al's case was the equivalent of a regular person or animal taking a rifle bullet to the head. They were completely different.

"Really? I kind of like being outside, it keeps my mind off of the propaganda that's been going around lately," Al replied bluntly. The man grunted, a little taken a back from Alfred's response.

"Well then… I guess in that case, you haven't heard about some of the rumors going around… or _propaganda._ You know, some of the tales about making this planet more inhabitable for all of us," He explained, polishing a glass beer mug. Alfred paused for a moment, feeling the alcohol run through his veins.

"Hah, it'll take a lot to do _just _that," Alfred replied. The man hummed.

"Why the doubt? We want to pay for what we've done to this planet. Human kind has been harming it for centuries, it's the least we can do," He continued. Alfred sighed. He didn't want to hear the sentimental bullshit.

"It's not necessarily because I want your nationality to not exist anymore. It's really just because this planet doesn't have much more to offer now. If we want to save this planet from losing our valuable resources from it, we all need to change the way we live. It's like losing weight, or battling a disease, you have to change your lifestyle in order to change your physical being." Al replied.

"Haha… health lessons, I see. That, or there's another way." Alfred could barely hear him, as he felt the beer burn his throat, closing his eyes at the sensation. But when he opened his eyes, the man's expression changed slightly, as if he was becoming more engaged into the topic. Alfred however, knew that whatever he was about to say was hopeless. Because what Alfred said was true, there was no other way, was there?

"There's been talk lately about a very sacred race. A secret small race that lives among us that are born from the earth itself." Alfred finally put down his beer, eyes opening slightly at the suggestion.

"You mean… like wizards and magical creatures or something? That's a huge step if they're thinking this is legitimate," Al replied. The man chuckled.

"It's a legend. But apparently they're saying that it holds some truth. You must have heard of this legend before, who hasn't?" He asked. Alfred stayed oblivious to the conversation, deep down knowing exactly where it was going however.

"Nope, never heard about these wizards that grow on trees," Alfred responded, resting his chin in his palm while tapping both his foot and his fingers along the bar.

"Hah… that's weird; I thought it was very spread around by now. You must have heard of them at one point. Anyways…" The man leaned in, snow eyes looking dead on into Alfred's sky blue orbs.

"_They're called the Hetalia." _

Alfred could feel something in his chest sink slightly. A familiar word. A word he's heard many times in his life. It was almost daily now that he heard the people; old and new, utter the word past their lips. It was becoming problematic. Despite this, Al kept his nature cool. He smirked.

"Still sounds like a silly idea," He replied. "But tell me… what do you know about these _Hetalia_?" Al asked. To his surprise, the man shrugged.

"Not many of us know a lot, but apparently the Hetalia have access to all of the earth's secret resources. In a sense, the legend says that they have the power to bring the earth back to life," He explained. Alfred frowned slightly.

"You really think so?" Al asked.

"I think it's possible."

"Haha… what nonsense."

"Why would you think that?" Alfred paused in thought. The truth was science had come so far. So far that in the long run, it failed them. What was an even bigger pity was that, there were still many _many_ things that science hadn't been able to explain, and would never explain now that he was sure that the planet was in a position of nearly no return. It made him sad to know that some of his questions in youth would never be answered now. But then it came down to other questions. Questions he knew the answer to, but science itself hadn't been able to explain. If science were to find out however, about these certain questions he knew the answers to; deep down, something he didn't even want to imagine could happen, something so great…

"I just think that's dumb. What's the proof of this?" Alfred asked, still keeping his un-amused expression.

"Well… someone's already claimed that they've caught one," He responded calmly.

Alfred could feel the liquid in his throat slide down the wrong pipe as he spoke that. Al choked slightly, planting a hand around his neck as he tried to clear his throat. The man took note of this.

"Are you ok? Did I make it too strong?" Al's thoughts were a blaze now.

How _stupid_ could humanity be? The sentence lingered in the back of his mind. _They're just bound to destroy themselves, aren't they?_

"I need- I mean, tell me what you know of this." Alfred kept his swelling chest from interfering with the conversation.

"Erm… all I know is that it's a woman and that they're taking her to some laboratory, somewhere up in the northern hemisphere for evaluations. It's been all over the news, just in case if you're curious."

"Did they say any _specific_ locations, or is the _northern hemisphere_ the best you know?" He asked, almost snapping. The man raised his eyebrow.

"That's the only info they're giving us. It seems like pretty secret stuff," He replied. Alfred frowned at this. _Secrets,_ he thought. Keeping these dangerous secrets from the world was a sin. A disgusting; man-made sin, in these kinds of situations at the least. In the end however, Alfred smirked, almost darkly to the man.

"Sounds like its dangerous business if they can't reveal much information to the public," He said. The man laughed slightly.

"Seems like it. But you know the world government, they always do these kinds of things," He replied. Alfred bit his lip lightly.

"Do you know anything else? Has the woman spoken anything?" He asked. _Who could this woman be? _

"I wouldn't know. They haven't said anything more lately from what I know." He replied. Alfred tried not showing his frustration, but he couldn't help himself from grinding his teeth, at least once.

"Thank you for the beer." The man smiled.

"Anytime."

OxoxoxO

The young blond man shook violently, as he tried looking at the moving scenery before them. But it was all useless, as his field of vision kept getting cloudy.

It was a fucking blizzard, Eduard thought to himself as he rubbed his hands along his shoulders. The blazing winds had already plastered snowflakes to his lenses, and even if he were to wipe them off, in a matter of seconds, they would be clouded up again. It made his glasses so cold that the frames of them burned his already frozen complexion.

But most of all, he couldn't see a damn thing. But thanks to the shoulder to shoulder physical contact with the boy next to him, he was reassured that he wasn't lost. That he was still here; on the train headed north.

Why they were waiting outside of the train car was a mystery to both of them. But surely enough, it was their order. And if they didn't follow the order… well, they weren't even sure anymore. They could have walked away and refused any minute, if they really wanted to, because in this day and age, they were pretty much free to their heart's desire. But something kept them from doing so. So it was moreso their choice… or so they thought.

Thinking this scenario through Eduard's head was like icing on top of his already frozen brain.

"H-h-h-how l-l-l-long will it t-t-t-ak-k-ke th-them?" The smaller boy, Raivis asked. Eduard was unresponsive in words; all he could do was grunt and squeeze his eyes shut. Raivis's exhale was shaken as he chattered his teeth. It was at this time that the door handle behind Eduard shifted. The door opened as the two of them stepped aside, alarmed slightly. If it was a stranger or someone suspicious, they were ordered to "exterminate" them, whatever that meant. But to both of their reliefs, it was one of their allies.

Toris immediately grabbed his shoulders as he felt his shoulder length brown hair blow and stick to his face. He squinted.

"Why are you both waiting out here? You know the cars are heated…" Toris started to shiver. Eduard kept his mouth shut of course. Raivis spoke up, squeaking in mid sentence.

"I-I th-thought we w-were ordered to wait out h-here…" He replied. Toris raised an eyebrow at him.

"He told us to wait _by _before he signals us. He didn't order any of us to wait out here in the blistering cold," He replied. Both of them paused, violently shivering.

"P-p-p-p-part of me… th-thinks th-th-that it's b-b-better t-t-to be on th-the safe side," Raivis replied.

"Better not to look suspicious… mmm?" Eduard finally spoke, quietly and quickly. Toris however, physically insisted for them to get into the train car.

"You'll both look more suspicious if you're waiting out here," He told them. Eduard and Raivis paused.

He had a point.

"It's kind of dangerous for all of us to be here, aren't they out to get all of us?" Eduard asked. Toris looked at him. Eduard's eyes were squinted shut.

"It's not like we stand out or anything. They don't know much about us. For all they know, we all look like regular people. We get hurt as well as get cold like they do, don't we?"

"I wouldn't say that… those people seem to know more than what we thought they would… but they don't seem to know enough at the same time," He replied. "I mean… it wasn't until they came here that our name started spreading publicly. It wouldn't be such a bad thing I guess, but Britain's people seem to be in on it too," Eduard explained. Toris was silent.

"The scary thing about the situation we're… in right now… they really have no idea what they're doing…"

"T-Toris… wh-wh-what's g-g-going t-to h-hap-pen to us?" Raivis asked. For a split second, Toris's mind was completely blank, and was absorbed in the freezing atmosphere, as if he was trying to hear the answer there. But when Toris's mind went back to the subject, he exhaled silently, his steamed breath escaping him in an instant.

"I… I don't know."

OxoxoxO

It had been days for her. Days of just staring blankly at whatever wall was provided in front of her. Even so, her stomach refused to growl and she had time to think and rest, even for a short while. If it wasn't for this, she would have gone completely insane by now, if she was just merely human. Sometime during the past days she decided that she was completely pissed off. But then in the end she no longer cared what was going to happen to her.

Natalia brought a couple fingers to her long, now dull dusty blond hair, and carefully ran her fingers through it. About the third time weaving her fingers through, her hands froze slightly, as she looked down to them; noticing something different. Gradually, she let her fingers loose from her hair again, dragging more than enough strands of it along with them. She watched the thin dull threads as they delicately floated down to the floor. It took her a few moments, but she finally frowned.

At long last, she was finally starting to fall apart.

And after looking sadly forward to it, she no longer cared. She was tired. She was tired of being tired and sleeping only to wake up again and again. It was repetitive, and nothing in her perspective ever really changed. So, if it was possible, she was ready to die. Because deep down inside, she thought that it wouldn't get any better. She barely heard the door next to her open.

"Ah, here you are madam," The balding man spoke. Natalia looked up moments later to look at the man that spoke to her. Already she was envious. Envious of his faster aging body.

"You must be hungry after this long trip, why don't I order something for you in the car next door?" He asked smiling. Still, her face was passive, tilting her head away from the man.

"No thank you. I'm not hungry," She replied. The man raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know, if you really were ordinary… you would have eaten at least _something_ three days ago. It's been _six _days since you've been in custody," He told her. "And surprisingly enough, you look and act exactly like you did before," He told her.

Natalia shifted just her eyes towards him, not saying a word.

"It just proves that you aren't normal."

"I'm just not hungry," She told him.

"Nor thirsty. You can't even survive as long without water like you can without food. And you haven't begged for _either_ of them." Natalia stayed quiet. The man sighed.

"At least tell me that you've slept at least once over this last week?" The word slept ran through her mind. She would like that. She'd like that for a very long time.

"I can't sleep here," She told him.

"I could set up a bed for your comfort?"

"Even then. I wouldn't be able to sleep." The man finally seemed to give up, letting the palm of his hand slide down his face. This was difficult, he thought. But it had been so easy at the same time. He wanted more information on her abnormality, but at the same time, it just screamed to him. Whenever she looked at him in the eye, it sent shivers down the man's spine.

"You probably think I'm a nuisance now, am I right?" He asked. The truth was that, he definitely was.

"No… not at all," She replied. The man snorted.

"Well-" The man paused for a second, looking at her as he felt a small shockwave on the train. It was small, but noticeable. His heart started to sink slightly, gulping.

"You felt that, right?" He asked. Natalia glanced at him for a moment.

"No." She replied. The man growled to himself.

"That's ridiculous; the whole train just shook…" His heart beat started to pick up slightly. Suddenly, the man, out of reflex, grasped onto the edge of his seat in fear. The train shook again, but this time it was more noticeable. He started to feel sick.

"Something isn't right…" He muttered; covering his mouth as he grimly looked at the doors.

"You're positive that you don't feel any abnormality on this train?" He asked again.

"Positive." She said simply. The man growled again, stepping up to open the door and slamming it behind him. Natalia just stared blankly at the door, almost expecting someone to walk through again. He heard the man grumbling something angrily to another person, or a few persons, she couldn't really tell. Again, the train shook again. She closed her eyes.

_No, it couldn't be…_ she thought.

But sure enough, once she heard shouting in the train car next door, she opened her eyes again.

OxoxoxO

Toris, Eduard and Raivis quietly in a single line walked through the train cars from the back of the train. They had to make it towards the center, but they had to do so in a fashion that didn't make them look suspicious.

"We really look suspicious now, Toris," Eduard pointed out. Toris bit his lip. Already through the third train car, they had guard men looking at them behind shades as well as ordinary passengers. They had expected more people to be up and about, not just hiding around in their train cabins. Raivis looked behind them.

"I have a feeling we're being followed too," He spoke, clinging a hand onto Eduard's jacket. In moments, the two of them slammed to a halt as Toris paused before them. Eduard and Raivis looked ahead at what the obstacle that paused them happened to be.

A larger man, about a foot taller than Toris and the rest of them stood in their way, crossing his arms while glaring darkly down at them.

"No passengers beyond this point," He grunted. The three of them chuckled nervously at the size of the man.

"R-right, of course, we'll be heading back to our seats now," Toris replied, as he motioned the two of them to turn around. But even then, when they made it back to the end of the car, a couple other men had stood in their way.

They trapped them in that car. Raivis quickly hid behind Eduard.

"You'll have to take your seats now, we're on a lock down right now," He told them. Eduard and Raivis didn't say a thing. Toris rubbed the back of his neck nervously. _ Crap_ was the only thing that went through his mind then.

"O-okay, we'll just take the nearest vacant seats we can find," He replied, turning the other way, scanning wildly for an empty train cabin. Luckily for them, they found one that seemed to be abandoned. The three of them looked at each other, before opening the vacant door to the inside, Raivis taking one last glance at the shady men around them before closing the door, only to find that they weren't alone.

Inside the cabin were two very young children, one young girl and the other an older boy. Both of them were under ten years old and were dressed in thick coats, scarves and hats. They looked at the three of them nervously, the boy holding the girl protectively. Toris's mouth curved down, he took a seat, Eduard and Raivis following quietly behind. They were all silent, none of them making eye contact. Eventually however, Toris decided to look up again, and look at the two children.

The boy narrowed his eyes at him, holding the young girls hand tightly. Toris gave in slightly, as he flashed them a smile.

"Do you two have any parents with you?" Toris asked. The kids were silent. Toris frowned.

"Sorry." He replied, looking the other way.

"No… they abandoned us on this train," The boy replied. Toris flashed a sympathetic expression.

"I'm sorry about that," he replied. To be honest, Toris didin't really know how to respond.

"Why are you sorry?" The boy asked. Toris looked at the other two, hoping to get an idea on how to respond. Neither of them looked up still however.

"I… I wouldn't know or want to know how that feels," He replied. Part of him wished he hadn't replied like that, but he was surprised when the boy spoke up again.

"You wouldn't want to know," he replied bluntly and honestly. There was a moment of silence, all until the train vibrated again. Toris took good note of this, but Raivis was the one that reacted the most.

"Maybe we should try to find a way out of here… he'll get really mad if we don't show up on cue," Raivis replied, moving a couple curly chunks of mousey blond hair out of his eyes.

"There's always plan B," Eduard replied, pointing towards the window. Toris exhaled disappointingly.

"I didn't want it to come down to this," Toris replied, standing up slightly to look through the window. It was getting dark outside already, in what seemed like a vast desert of snow.

"Why are those men after you?" The little girl finally spoke up. Toris paused for a moment, before turning to the young girl, smiling slightly.

"It's not safe being on this train you know… I don't know what will happen here once we go," He told her. The girl's expression looked worried.

"Then what are you up to?" The boy replied. "Is this train dangerous because of you three or what?" Toris again was at a loss of words. He seemed bad at this game. He looked down at Eduard, whom straightened his glasses and had his arms crossed to himself. Raivis's expression was always and still full of worry, as he tried to control his urge to not look out of the cabin window to look at the rest of the train car. Toris could only smile crookedly.

"Call me a fool if you want… we're here to save the world," He replied. When he said that, just about every single one of them were now looking at him. Toris felt a tinge of stage freight.

"And… if you want to see the world without a blanket of snow covering it every day, well… I suggest abandoning this train as soon as possible, because where this train is heading. It's not going to be lasting very long regardless if the world is saved or not." Eduard and Raivis were both silent. The boy and girl's eyes were wide open, all until the boy growled to himself.

"I knew it… I _knew_ that they would send us off just so they can fend for themselves!" The boy spoke angrily, shaking a fist.

"Brother…" The younger girl spoke. It was again that the train shook.

"We better go before they start becoming suspicious," Eduard said. Raivis bit his lip.

"I hope none of us fall off." Toris's eyes were locked on the boy and the girl, now holding each other closely. He closed his eyes.

"We can help you escape if you want. Otherwise, you're on your own," He told them before opening the window, feeling the rush of cold air. "I just hope wherever the two of you go, that you'll be here tomorrow and take care of each other."

The boy and girl now looked at the three of them, as they all tried climbing to the roof of the train through the window. They had to hurry; the cold air was blowing in really fast as well as the intruding snow. The boy and girl didn't really know how or understand what had just happened, but as Raivis was pulled up above the train car, the boy started to feel the need to leave as well. Something was wrong with the situation they were all in, especially once some of the strange men barged inside of the train cabin; one of the men poking his head out the window angrily.

_"Those punks got out?"_ He yelled, but no one could hear him as the wind carried on his voice. One of the men turned to the boy and girl angrily. The man lunged down towards the kids to question them, the boy quickly pushing the girl out of harm's way before he was grabbed by the collar.

"Okay kid, how'd they escape?" He spat in his face. All at the same time when the train gave a violent jolt, knocking everyone down on their knees. The lights flickered. The boy managed to free himself from the man's grip as he grabbed his sisters' hand and ran.

_"Shit, what the hell going on?"_ One of the men cursed.

OxoxoxO

Meanwhile up on the roof of the train, Toris, Eduard and Raivis held hands as they felt the train jerk violently. Raivis lost his footing but was quickly held up by Eduard. All of them shook.

"What the hell is Ivan doing down there?" Eduard questioned. Toris shivered, looking forward as everything rushed past them.

"We should have learned how to walk on moving platforms before doing this, huh…" Raivis said, squinting at the now stinging snowflakes again.

"Let's just get going," Toris assured them.

OxoxoxO

It had been really easy so far. Just getting everyone out of his way was a total breeze for him, it was pathetic.

Ivan Braginski smiled to himself as he walked through the next door that led to the next, and hopefully last car before his sister, leaving a trail of sticky dark blood behind him as he shut the door casually. They were all pesky insects, he thought as an angry man barged through the next car door in front of him, holding up a machine gun. The man took a couple steps back, first taking in his height. Ivan was taller than your average human. He quickly observed Ivan's long white trench coat that was now coated in splotches of blood. None of it, however, or most of it didn't seem to belong to Ivan at all. The man didn't know what he thought, except slight fear, as he looked into Ivan's icy indigo orbs. There was a pause, as Ivan's light dusty blond hair blew out of his eyes. Ivan smiled as he took a step forward, his long, beautifully embroidered lavender scarf flapping violently in the dark snowy winds.

_"F-f-freeze!_" The man's voice shook as Ivan took another step forward.

"_**I-I said freeze!" **_He yelled again, only to quickly let his turret gun on a rage, out of fear. The man watched in horror, as about ten bullets had quickly pierced Ivan through the chest, the head, and just about all of his upper body. Even though squirts of blood had escaped Ivan's now pierced skin and coat, so had the bullets themselves, slowly and surely, all ten of them had either dropped or flew off into the icy night sky. The man screamed as Ivan's smile had turned wicked. Triggering another round of bullets from the turret gun only made Ivan grab the shaft of the gun itself, bending it pathetically upwards. Before the man could react, before he could run away, Ivan quickly grabbed his face forcefully, squeezing it until the man could feel his skull cave in on himself. Blood had started to seep out of the man's eye sockets, nose, mouth and ears as Ivan looked into the pathetic man's eyes as he felt his own left eye repair itself after the last bullet had popped out. He smiled, before tossing the man violently off the train and into the snowy desert to die.

Ivan whipped his face clean, and looked at the iron liquid on his gloved fingertips.

"So silly," He spoke to himself before opening the next car door.

One by one, he demolished them. Whipped them messily, but clean out of his path, more bullets, and laser bullets, only grazing his skin as passed by. The car was filled with screams from the regular passengers that resided inside of the cabins. But as long as they didn't get in Ivan's way, he could have cared less what was to happen to any of them. One larger man had jumped out in front of him.

"_What the hell-,"_ Ivan quickly grabbed the man by the throat, instantly crushing his neck as he threw him violently to the back of the train car. The car shook violently as the man collided and dented the wall behind him, blood smearing down the wall as the man landed on the floor dead with a thud. Ivan looked behind him; he had transformed the once golden car walls into a cherry red, in less than three minutes. A small head poked through one of the cabin windows, a young child, not aware of the blood stains behind them as he looked at Ivan's appearance. Ivan smiled sweetly to the child before moving onto the next car.

OxoxoxO

Natalia's eyes opened wide as her cabin door opened, gazing in both awe and shock at who was now standing before her.

Stained in red, Ivan looked down at her, not sure whether to smile or frown. Natalia looked as if she wanted to scream at him, but held in her sudden spurt of emotion as Ivan spoke up first.

"Let's go," he simply told her as he held out a hand after wiping the blood off of it first. Natalia could only stare at him. Disgusted? Grateful? She wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel at that moment.

"Wh… why did you… why did you come after me?" She asked, feeling her voice shake. Ivan glared at her for a moment as the both of them heard a man running towards them. Without even looking at whoever was running after them, Ivan had forcefully punched them back a few yards. His eyes never left Natalia's. Natalia finally frowned at him.

"This. You aren't doing any of this for me," She spoke. Ivan shrugged slightly.

"It doesn't matter if I am or not. You're my sister. Let's go," He replied. Natalia, without even beginning to realize just exactly what kind of emotion she was feeling stood up finally, gently taking Ivan's hand. His hands always felt so cold to her, it sent shivers down her spine every time she realized it. They weren't always like this, she thought. She was sure she would surprise anyone if she told them that at one point, Ivan Braginski wasn't so cold. But now even if their world was blazing hot, his hands; his skin would always be freezing. Ivan led her out of the train car as more men trailed their location down.

As the both of them made it outside of the car, Toris, Eduard and Raivis were already there to greet them on the roof of the train, Toris biting his lip slightly as he finally saw Natalia holding her brother's hand tightly. Toris held out his own hand to her despite of this.

"Up here Natalia," his voice sounded different. Natalia looked up to them.

"The three of you too…" She spoke. At this time, more guards hard been shouting nonsense at them. Raivis looked behind them, seeing a crowd of guards approaching them.

"Guys, there's people up here…" Raivis spoke nervously. Eduard looked back, growling to himself. In the meantime, Natalia was still at a loss of what to do. Stay here and die, or be rescued by these fools to only live on for more years being miserable? In the end, Ivan put a hand on her back, ushering her to move forward. She frowned slightly, grabbing Toris' arm almost painfully. Toris winced slightly. He could feel her anger, just in her grip as he pulled her up. Ivan climbed up right behind.

As the five of them stood on the moving roof, they had realized that it was a stupid idea. All they had to do was get off the train, right? Raivis looked around them nervously, seeing more of the guards gather on the roof of the train car behind them. Ivan with a smile, stood in front of them to block them from the men that were now facing them with more weapons and machinery. They had all paused. They were surrounded.

"Estonia. Latvia. You may jump now," Ivan told them. Eduard and Raivis nervously exchanged glances. Natalia was stuck holding both Ivan's and Toris' hand at the time. The two of them nodded before holding onto each other, bracing to jump.

"Lithuania… take my sister." Natalia looked at Ivan like he was insane.

"And what will you do?" She demanded him. Ivan looked back down at her, their hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"I will follow behind of course," Ivan told her. Natalia stared at her brother. Before Toris tugged on her hand to go with her, Toris looked at Eduard and Raivis as both of them jumped off the train, disappearing into the night. However, as Toris went to continue on, Natalia held him back, eyes still locked onto Ivan's. There was one thing that went through her mind then. Ivan was different that night. And she wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

"Nata- Belarus, hurry," Toris called at her. Natalia's hand went limp as Ivan let go of her hand. And as the two of them braced to jump, Natalia didn't finish the final part, letting Toris go on without her. Toris looked back up at the train in shock, reaching out for her without even knowing why as he disappeared into the snow below. Natalia could only blankly stare back at him before he vanished.

"Natalia," Ivan spoke, turning to her. She looked back, almost afraid.

She was completely taken aback as Ivan pushed her into the dark night. His sister, eyes wide as she watched Ivan escape her fingertips before her long hair engulfed her eyesight. The last thing she saw on that train was him wickedly smiling down at her.

Her back forcefully landed in the snow below her. She was now gazing up at the cloudy night sky. Everything was silent then. Everything was perfectly still, as she heard the train descend down the railroads. Then her breath as she watched the steam escape her lips. What had just happened?

"Belarus! Belarus!" She heard familiar voices yelling from a distance. Although, all she could do then was stare blankly into the sky. She must have looked like a fallen angel at that point, she thought to herself.

"Belarus-," Toris gasped as the three of them caught up to her, kneeling down gasping for breath. Natalia slowly but surely drifted her eyes to the three men above her. Toris's eyes were filled with worry.

"Belarus…" He spoke, lending her another hand. Natalia could only stare blankly at it, all until the corner of her eye was caught in a golden flashing light. The three of them gasped, looking up towards the direction of the flickering lights. Natalia sat up slowly, looking in the same direction as them. All of them watched what seemed to be the climax of a gigantic explosion, as the train itself was caught in flames, very far off down the road. All of them were silent for a long moment.

"…Russia?" Raivis spoke out loud. Natalia closed her eyes. She knew better.

"He's fine." The three of them looked down to her.

"After all. This is his land after all." Toris examined her, as her gaze was unbroken from the glowing fire in the distance.

"Although… what's the point of saving a single life, when you're killing the rest of them?" She grasped her skirt angrily. Although Toris wanted to, he couldn't reply to that question as the four of them gazed at the destruction they had caused.

One thing they were very sure of by then, their path ahead of them now were going to be difficult and challenging.

Though none of them knew of it, somewhere in the same kind of distance, a couple of lonely children thought the exact same thing as they watched the train crumble away below those harsh flames.

It was soon that one of them noticed a similar figure silhouetted from the golden flames behind him. Scarf waving behind him delicately.

OxoxoxO

It was early in the morning. So early in fact that, the sun was still asleep, though it would be moments before the sun could dimly light up the clouds that blocked the way.

Every morning, Feliciano would wake up this early, to climb up on the roof of their lonely house to gaze at the sky at this time in hopes to see something new. But to his disappointment again, he was very doubtful that the sun would show its face at all that day. Even so, Feliciano smiled, tucking his auburn hair behind his ear. At least it was going to be a little warmer that day, he thought to himself, as he saw the sky start to become a tinge of purple. He looked down to the random feline that accompanied him that morning. He scratched the cat behind the ear gently.

"What do you think? Do you think the day will be a good one? I think it will be," He told the tabby cat as it purred against his touch. Feli's smile was gentle, as he picked the cat up to place it in his lap. "I think today will be a day to remember in fact."

Feliciano Vargas was always looking forward to the next day, no matter the circumstances. Even if his body was torn into two the previous day, he would still climb on top of the roof to gaze at the dirty sky, always looking forward. In that sense, a lot of others his kind seemed to envy his optimism. It was a rare thing in that day an age. But even so, Feli still had it. And the blond that approached the roof from the attic that thought all of this through knew that, Feliciano wasn't going to drop any of this optimism anytime soon. The blond opened the door to the roof.

Feli saw the door open, a familiar head poked up through the ceiling.

"I knew I'd find you up here again," The blond spoke, trying as if to slick his hair back. Feli smiled.

"Ludwig, Ludwig, look! The cat came back again!" He smiled, running his fingers through the cat's fur. Germany, or Ludwig in Feli's case looked partly annoyed, but couldn't help the fact that part of him was smiling as well.

"So, that's the cat you were talking about before?" He asked. Feli nodded.

"Come join me, Ludwig, you'll get a better look," He said. Ludwig was tentative at first, but gave in. He was always giving into Feliciano lately he noticed, at least for the past few centuries. Ludwig sighed, pushing himself up on the roof to sit next to Feli, as he grabbed his shoulders. How dumb of him to forget his jacket, he thought. But before he had the option of going back down to get one, Feli took the red scarf he was wearing, and wrapped it around Ludwig's neck as well. Ludwig smiled slightly.

"Thanks," He muttered before his blue eyes looked down to the calm, healthy tabby cat in Feli's care.

"Rub his tummy, it's warm," He said, running his fingers again along the orange fur. Slowly, Ludwig did the same, softly letting his fingertips be tickled by the warmth between each strand of hair.

"We have to keep him, it's so cold," Feli spoke. Ludwig frowned.

"We can't look after it, Feli. We don't have much to offer," He told him. Ludwig never really called him by his real name, or his shortened real name unless if they were either alone or they were somehow, with him not being fully aware of it, sharing an intimate moment. In the moment they were currently in, he felt as if it could have been both. But Feliciano's attention was fully focused on the cat.

"But we still have a roof. At least we can offer that. A nice warm roof for him." Ludwig frowned slightly, before sighing.

"Yes. I guess we do have that," He told him. "But you're the one responsible for feeding him," He told him sternly. Feliciano looked over to Ludwig, before smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, Ludwig," He said. Ludwig smiled.

"You're welcome." There was a pause, as the sun crawled up the sky steadily. Ludwig rubbed the cat's stomach as it rolled on its back.

"Also…"

"?"

"I… I think I finally found him," Feli said. Ludwig raised an eyebrow.

"You're always finding people Feli. Who could it be this time?" He chuckled. Feli's smile spread from cheek to cheek.

"Kiku. I found Kiku." Ludwig's eyes widened slightly.

Kiku, was what Feli called him. An old friend that none of them had seen or heard from in centuries. Even so, Ludwig bit his lip. The thing was, Feli was half incorrect with these things, but at the same time, he wasn't always wrong.

"I… Feli, I don't want to sound… down or anything, but I don't think… I don't think we'll be seeing him anytime soon," He replied. "If ever." For all they knew, their old friend had disappeared forever. He had just suddenly vanished from their lives all together.

"No, Ludwig. I'm positive. I've found Kiku again." Ludwig wasn't sure if he wanted to look Feli in the eyes or not, but it was when he did that he could tell how confident Feliciano was at the time.

"His appearance, his scent… the texture of his skin. It has to be him," He spoke. Ludwig frowned. If it so happened that indeed, he did find their old friend again and he was awake from the longest slumber any of them had ever seen, what good would that do for him, or any of them?

"If it really is him… he might as well just go back to sleep," He spoke. "Because he woke up at a really bad time." Feli frowned.

"Don't say that… I think he couldn't have woken up at a better time," He said. Ludwig nearly rolled his eyes. Feli furrowed his eyebrows at him.

"I'll prove it to you today. I'll bring him home with me," he told him. Ludwig was now curled in a ball, leaning his temple against his knees as he looked at Feliciano tiredly.

"Feli, when will it occur to you that these are really bad times. Even if he _did_ return, what good will that do?" He asked, finally staring at him in the eyes seriously. But Feliciano could only stare back, warm hazel eyes a blaze. He hadn't been more confident, Ludwig thought to himself. Not in a long time.

It was that very reason why, Ludwig's eyes widened in shock as he looked at him. Feli paused in their eye lock as he blindly and slowly brought a hand up to the side of his face, letting his fingertips touch a chunk of hair that was hanging down lower than usual. His fingers, with almost no effort at all, pulled the chunk of hair out. And as Feli looked down at the small jumble of auburn hair, all of what was left of his confidence seemed to be lost. Ludwig could only stare in awe and disbelief.

Even so, under the different circumstance, Feli smiled, eyes never straying from the chunk of hair that looked as if it would be blown away in the wind at any moment.

"I'll… I'll be ok," He assured him without looking up. He didn't want to see Ludwig worry anymore, he was sick of it.

Ludwig however, leaned in gently, to wrap protective arms around him, pacifying him away from the rest of the world. It took him moments, before Feliciano returned the hug, clinging to Ludwig's sleeves for dear life.

OxoxoxO

_Sorry if that was a little… strange. 8D Feedback/critique is welcome._


End file.
